BHUBANESWAR: Keeping an eye on the panchayat polls, Congress launched on Monday a six-day padayatra in all the 314 blocks of the State to expose Naveen Patnaik government. The main focus of the mass contact programme, inaugurated by OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik here, is to create awareness among the people about the large-scale corruption and irregularities at all levels of the State Government during Naveen’s 12-year rule. The latest in the series is allotment of houses and plots to influential people, including ministers from the discretionary quota of the Urban Development ministers by violating the rules. Irregularities in the implementation of MGNREGS and bungling in procurement of pulses for mid-day meal scheme, multi-crore mining and coal scams will also be the talking points in the padayatra. Besides, Congress will also make people aware of the welfare programmes launched by the Centre for people. Criticising the launching of welfare programmes by Naveen, a senior Congress leader told this paper that people would have to be enlightened on the Central schemes. The leaders will create awareness at the block-level about the Centre’s 16 flagship schemes to counter Naveen government’s populist measures. The Chief Minister flagged off several schemes including the bi-cycle to schoolgirls, the Mamata scheme forpregnant women and the newborns and the programme to build concrete roads in all villages during the last one month. The padayatra will also harp on the rapidly deteriorating law and order. Increase and spread of Maoist activities in 21 districts and inaction of the State Government to counter the situation will be propagated among the people. Niranjan appointed a four-member committee headed by State general secretary Arya Gyanendra to assess the impact of the yatra. The team on Monday visited Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Angul, Jajpur, Bhadrak and Balasore districts.
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